"Ask Your Granny Day" the secret to a profitable website
New York, September 2005 By asking grandmothers to test their website, employees of Mobal, the international phone company, made changes that doubled sales something industry consultants and focus groups had failed to do. The findings have led Mobal to adopt a checklist of 5 rules for a simple and profitable website.
It is now Mobal's company policy to have an "Ask Your Granny Day" after any major website development.
"Our grannies were technically inexperienced and brutally honest. And if they had a problem with the website, so would customers. It is a simple trick that any company could use to maximize its profits." Dr Karl Blanks, Business Development Director.
The idea to ask the grandmothers came from a chance occasion. Dr Blanks was visiting his grandmother Maisy when she asked him what Mobal did. In describing the $49 Mobal World Phone Dr Blanks realised that he had to really simplify everything in order for her to understand. It showed him that what you think is basic information about your products because you work with them everyday can still be confusing for your potential customers.
The idea consolidated in Dr Blanks' mind after reading research suggesting that the over 55s or Silver Surfers as they have been dubbed by the media are set to become the largest growth sector for Internet usage. By making Mobal's website user-friendly to the top end of this age group, it could only be good for all of Mobal's website customers.
"We believed that our $49 Mobal World Phone with no monthly fees was the perfect product for the older generation. These are the people who have the time and money to travel overseas, and who like the security of a permanent cell phone service. Yet paradoxically they are also least likely to have knowledge of cell phones and of buying online. To maximise the Mobal World Phones potential we needed to redress this balance." Dr Blanks.
The test consisted of the grannies being directed to www.mobal.com and told to imagine they were traveling to specific countries and needed one of Mobal's international cell phone products. They were then observed trying to find and order the correct product from the website while giving a running commentary of what they were thinking.
"When I first read the page, it made no sense to me. It's a lot better now." Maisy Blanks, 84.
The tests showed that the language used on Mobal's website was too technical and that the website was too difficult to navigate. Both these factors were creating a huge barrier between Mobal's customers and its products. But even Mobal was surprised by the effect that simple changes such as these had on the sales, which doubled in 18 months.
"All the website's problems were obvious. It just took my granny to point them out." Dr Karl Blanks.
Mobal's checklist for a senior-friendly website is to (i) ruthlessly cut the word count, (ii) simplify your service, and then explain it in plain English (iii) make sure that text is resizable (iv) make web links obvious, using dark text on a light background and (v) remember that points 1 to 4 are just theory until your target age group has tested it.
Mobal's Chairman, Tony Smith, was sceptical about the "Ask Your Granny Day" at first, but soon came round to the idea after the sales began to increase:
"I put it to any person in my position: would you rather spend millions of dollars on so-called experts, or spend the day having coffee and cookies with your grandmother and make more profit?"
About Mobal
Mobal has provided international cell phone and satellite phones since 1989. Today Mobal is a world leader with operations in Europe, North America and Asia Pacific. Mobals best selling product is the $49 Mobal World Phone, which has no monthly fees. It works in over 140 countries with one phone number. Customers only ever get charged for their calls when they are back home in the US in between trips, it does not cost them a cent.
